The great cathedral's bell rang loudly.
A special bulletin announcing the election of the next Pope spread throughout the land.
[The 104th Pope, Johan]
The servant of the Lord, from the humblest of places.
"How dignified he is."
"I was certain from the moment Sir Johan first came here."
"He is the only one who can truly be called His Holiness."
Johan, who had finished the inauguration ceremony amidst beautiful hymns and countless blessings.
No, Johanna.
"I feel sick...."
She was trembling with an unidentifiable anxiety.
She felt chills, and her stomach was upset.
Johanna covered her mouth and retched.
"...Huh?"
And then, she became aware of the presence of a new life settled within her.
Johanna holed herself up in the prayer room and did not come out for some time.
The others misunderstood, thinking she was asking the Lord for wisdom out of the heavy responsibility of becoming Pope.
The truth was, she was merely asking the Lord about the identity of the life she had conceived.
"Lord...."
Her voice trembled, and her heart would not be still.
Her vision blurred, then came back into focus, over and over.
Her belly was growing day by day.
Thanks to her naturally loose-fitting robes, it was hidden for now, but what would she do when it was time to give birth?
Could she give birth to a baby without anyone's help?
In the first place, she didn't even know whose baby it was.
There was the story of the Immaculate Conception, but would people believe that?
She'd be lucky not to be stoned to death for being a 'filthy woman'.
"Why... will you not answer me, Lord...."
The young lamb's prayer did not reach the heavens.
Time passed relentlessly.
She didn't know how much had passed.
For Johanna, the days did not feel real.
Every day was the same. She performed her duties as Pope, prayed, and went to bed.
The people were always the same, and what they were doing never really registered in her eyes.
What were their names? Come to think of it, she didn't know that either.
But for some reason, the thought of asking never even occurred to her.
It was strange. The world was strange, and she was strange.
Another day set amidst the confusion.
-[The magical energy reaction has gotten even stronger! The second wave is coming! Dodge!]
"Romani! We finally get communications back, and you only have discouraging things to say?!"
"I wholeheartedly agree with you, Senpai, but we must dodge first!"
There was no time to breathe.
The Beast was the trickiest enemy Chaldea had ever faced.
It wasn't because of its overwhelming power.
It was because while a normal fight is aimed at victory, the Beast's goal was torment.
-[Ah! Sorry. The magical energy reaction is a feint! He's preparing Black Keys, so Ritsuka, hide behind Mash's shield—.]
"That's basic!"
"Here they come!"
A single Black Key, which even Mash's giant shield couldn't completely block, slashed Ritsuka's leg.
"Ouch!"
"Senpai?!"
"It just grazed my leg. I'm still okay!"
Blood stained her torn stocking. Instead of crying out in pain, Ritsuka glared ahead.
The Beast, who looked more like a demon than a person.
Even from a distance, the fine hairs on her body stood on end.
He was terrifying. And strong.
The moment communications were restored, Romani had been horrified. That's how Ritsuka was able to gauge the enemy's strength.
She was certain. Mash couldn't handle him.
There was no help from local Servants, and the Servant who had come with them was in a non-combat state.
Chaldea had already lost... or so the Beast judged.
All that remained was amusement.
The strategy of slowly grinding Chaldea down was incredibly frustrating for those on the receiving end.
The situation was desperate.
The wounds were accumulating. The Beast's strength was not waning.
They had to pour out every ounce of power they had available.
Ritsuka, still sitting on the ground, called out to Tamamo, whose head was bowed low.
"Tamamo, get up! We're all going to die at this rate!"
-[This is bad! Tamamo is cutting her magical energy link with Ritsuka. At this rate, she's going to dematerialize!]
But there was no response.
Like a puppet with its strings cut, Tamamo was still.
"Oh, for crying out loud! ...By my Command Spell, I order you! Tamamo-no-Mae, protect me!"
Ping. One of the strokes on the Command Spell on the back of Ritsuka's hand faded.
At the same time, a red aura enveloped Tamamo's body. The compulsory force of the Command Spell.
"...I'm sorry, Master. For being such a useless Servant."
"If you know that, then help me!"
"S-Senpai."
Mash tried to calm the indignant Ritsuka.
"By my Command Spell, I order you again! Tamamo, get up and protect me!"
An even deeper red aura pressed down on Tamamo.
But Tamamo only rose to her feet; she took no action to protect Ritsuka.
Ritsuka ruffled her own hair in frustration.
The Beast watched this disgraceful display with an amused expression.
Seeing the Beast playing around with his arms crossed in the distance, Ritsuka turned the arrow of her blame toward him.
"Hey! What are you so happy about, laughing over there! This is all your fault!"
"...My fault? An interesting opinion."
Mash grabbed Ritsuka's arm.
It was an action born from the perfectly logical thought that they shouldn't provoke the enemy.
But Ritsuka's head wasn't working properly due to her anger.
She was just annoyed. Nothing was going right.
The fact that she was about to die in a Singularity she thought would be easily resolved was what infuriated her the most.
"I get that you want to play patty-cake with Johanna-chan. I get it, but why are you being so harsh with Tamamo!"
"Harsh? You call that harsh?"
The Beast scowled. The vicious aura emanating from his vertically slit pupils was more than enough to make Ritsuka faint.
But Ritsuka endured it.
Because the more she thought about it, the more absurd it all seemed.
"Yeah! It's harsh! You petty idiot!"
"That woman betrayed me. She betrayed my heart. She dragged out my past and tore my heart to shreds. Isn't that reason enough? O, Last Master of Humanity?"
Ritsuka tried to throw Mash's shield at the Beast, but failed.
After all, that shield was a Servant's equipment, overwhelmingly heavy for a high school girl to lift.
Instead, Ritsuka threw her hair tie.
As one would expect, it didn't even reach the Beast's feet.
"I know the sadness of losing a family, too. I've been to my grandfather's funeral. Of course, he didn't die as tragically as your family, but I know that losing a family member is a sad thing!"
"And so?"
"Then isn't Tamamo your family? Can't you empathize with Tamamo's sadness? She's been going on and on about how her wish was to meet you again ever since she was summoned! She answered my summons for the sole reason that she didn't want the history she shared with you to be erased!"
The Beast threw a Black Key with invisible speed.
Blood splattered on Ritsuka's cheek, and then she heard the sound of the air being torn.
She unknowingly took a step back.
"That is not my family. If she were my family, she wouldn't kill me a second time."
But she stepped forward once again.
This time, she brought Tamamo with her, showing her face to the Beast.
Her face, swollen from crying, was certainly a mess, but beautiful nonetheless.
"Don't make me laugh! You're the one who sealed your memories and forgot your family first. You're the one who trampled on the heart of a girl who kept calling for her daddy!"
"...What are you trying to say?"
"That you're a selfish bastard!"
Ptooey. Ritsuka imitated the actions of a yakuza she had once seen on TV.
It was an action she intended to be intimidating, but it had little effect.
But the Beast flinched.
It wasn't because of Ritsuka's action, but a timely misunderstanding gave her strength.
"You piece of trash! If they're family, you cherish all of them. There's no such thing as a less important or more important person!"
Tears had welled up in Ritsuka's eyes before she knew it.
"The Mage King burned my family to ashes, so don't you dare talk like you're so well-off when you still have family left!"
The Beast felt a sense of kinship with Ritsuka in that moment.
And he reflected on his own actions.
Did he really have the right to say such things to Tamamo?
The girl's words had the power to move something within him, but,
the Beast was not willing to easily accept it.
He had only wanted to be rewarded.
He had only wanted to live forever in a happy dream rather than repeat a painful reincarnation.
Having finished his deliberation, the Beast looked one last time at the woman who had been his daughter.
Tamamo-no-Mae had her eyes cast down.
This terrified figure was his own creation.
The Beast's head ached.
"...I think you are right. For the most part, that would be the case."
"Then hurry up and hand over the Grail and dematerialize."
"I don't think I can do that."
He wasn't unconditionally right.
But he didn't think he was wrong, either.
"I like this dream. I want to live here forever. Even if it interferes with your restoration of humanity, I have no intention of giving up this dream."
"You're a really infuriating old man."
"In that case, prove it. Prove that you are right, with your strength."
"That's unfair." At Ritsuka's valid rebuttal, the Beast already had something in mind.
"I will lower my power to the same level as that shield-bearing girl of yours. That should be fair enough."
"Fine. Just don't come crying when you get your ass kicked by our Mash."
"Huh?" Mash let out a silly sound.
"S-Senpai. Can I really win against a Beast...?"
"Don't worry. You have me!"
Mash was dizzy.
She never knew her Senpai had such a fiery temper.
Her opponent was a Beast. An Evil of Humanity.
An opponent against which even an ordinary Servant couldn't let their guard down. How was she supposed to face a Beast?
But Ritsuka patted Mash's shoulder.
"You can do it. If we fail, we fail together. If we succeed, we win together."
"Senpai…."
Was that to encourage Mash? Or was it a bluff?
Either way, it certainly gave Mash strength.
"Yes. I will definitely protect you, Senpai, and resolve this Singularity."
A heart-warming moment.
Another moment where a bond is forged, how beautiful.
Romani couldn't help but chime in.
-[Good luck!]
"Romani really has no sense of timing."
-[Ri-Ritsuka?]